Pity victims of SONS in high places

Tuesday

The bullies at the state Ethics Commission should be ashamed of themselves for picking on former Sheriff Guy Glodis, who is alleged to have performed an illegal favor for his buddy Duddie.

Even if Glodis did violate conflict of interest laws by allowing Duddie’s other buddy to be placed on work release within a day of arriving as an inmate at the jail, it’s not Guy’s fault and he shouldn’t be held responsible.

It’s been well-documented in this space that Glodis is afflicted with Sheriff of Nottingham Syndrome (SONS), a progressive disease characterized by an uncontrollable urge to be treated differently from everybody else. As a victim of SONS, Glodis should be eligible for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This disease explains why Glodis testified that he had no role whatsoever in running the jail, despite his paid role as head of the jail. And when he said he never approved a policy he’s now alleged to have violated, the symptoms of SONS were painfully apparent.

“I signed this, but I did not write it. I did not read it,” he testified.

For those unfamiliar with SONS, the first documented outbreak occurred in 1998, when then-Lt. Stephen Ceely was arrested after he inexplicably drove his car onto a sidewalk outside a Salisbury strip club and refused to move it, citing his position as a Worcester County sheriff.

“I don’t care if you’re the sheriff of Nottingham,” the cop famously responded.

Poor Guy was ravaged with SONS when he flashed his badge to gain entry to a Cape Cod beach and was slapped with a $50 fine. As expected, the disease has progressed. If found that he violated two sections of the state conflict of interest law when he was sheriff, he could be fined up to $10,000.

The Ethics Commission Enforcement Division alleges that Glodis arranged for inmate Joe Duggan to be placed on work release in 2009 as a favor to friend and political supporter David G. “Duddie” Massad, who employed Duggan as a project manager.

Another common symptom of SONS is blatant fibbing when caught exhibiting bad behavior. Glodis claimed he couldn’t remember ever speaking to Duddie about releasing Duggan, even though records show he spoke to Duddie for nine minutes the day before Duggan was due to report for a four-month larceny sentence. A few minutes later, Guy called the main administrative office at the jail. Later that day, he took another call from Duddie, then called the jail’s main office again.

Duddie himself admitted that he had called Glodis to see if Duggan could be placed on work release, which makes you wonder why these men didn’t get their stories straight. And if Duggan happened to have been granted work release within hours of checking in at the jail, well, Duddie’s car dealerships don’t build themselves.

But we shouldn’t blame Glodis for enabling a well-connected felon to treat the jail like a two-star hotel. That would be like blaming a blind employee for being unable to read the bulletin board. Requiring someone with SONS to act like everyone else is like expecting a deaf person to hear a symphony. Glodis deserves our compassion, rather than the taunts of a lawyer for the Ethics Commission.

“What this case is about is, regardless of who you know, or who you are, the rules should apply to everyone equally,” claimed Candies Pruitt-Doncaster. “The rules are not just for the people who do not have friends in high places.”

Well, yes, Ms. Box of Chocolates. But would you blame a depressed person for crying? A man who uses a wheelchair for being unable to walk?

People with SONS are not the enemy. They are our sons and daughters, our brothers, our elected officials, our court employees and school administrators. They are our public safety departments, our federal hacks. They are Guy Glodis. Please, don’t fine him before we find a cure.

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